Week 8, Term 3, 2024

Dear Families

Yesterday we celebrated R U OK? Day, a reminder of the importance of checking in on one another’s mental health and well-being. Rooted in our Catholic faith, the day aligns with Jesus’ call to love and care for our neighbours. By reaching out and offering support to those who may be struggling, we embody the compassion and empathy that Christ teaches us. It was a special day where students and staff dressed in yellow and reflected on the importance of a community filled with kindness and understanding. Thank you to our Year 6 Wellbeing / Community Leaders and Ms Basile for coordinating the day. 

I would take this opportunity to wish our Parish Priest, Father Mannes all the best as he commences his sabbatical leave in Rome from September 17 to the January 14, 2025. Please keep him in your prayers during this special time, and we look forward to hearing about his experiences upon his return. In the meantime, we warmly welcome Father Mark O’Brien, who will be serving as our Parish Priest during Father Mannes’ absence.

Last weekend, I had the pleasure to watch talented groups of our Year 5 and Year 6 students proudly represent our school in the ‘Tournament of Minds’. I congratulate Jess, Cooper, Ryan, Susanna, Henry, Keira, and Chi in Year 5, and Ryan, Jake, Melissa, Ethan, Maison, Aiden, Hannah, and Cooper in Year 6. This competition challenges students to think creatively and work collaboratively to solve complex problems in a selected range of disciplines, including STEM, The Arts, Language / Literature, and Social Sciences. Our students competed in the STEM challenge and demonstrated exceptional teamwork, and problem-solving skills. I congratulate them on their fantastic performance and thank Mr Brenton Campbell who supported the students throughout their preparation and competition.

This term I would like to congratulate a number of our senior students for being selected to represent the North Adelaide metropolitan region in the SAPSASA state soccer carnival. An amazing opportunity and experience for them all to be a part of. I congratulate Sam Q, who was a part of the boys team who finished overall 8th in the standings. I congratulate Charlotte, Willow, Jess and Matilda (injured) who managed to finish 4th overall. They had an opportunity to place 3rd but sadly went down in the last match of the carnival. Well done to all involved!

2025 planning reminder

Planning for 2025 is well underway and, as part of this process, we require accurate enrolment data to finalise the school structure and staffing requirements. If you are not intending for your child/ren to remain at Rosary School in 2025, please email karin.skinner@rosary.catholic.edu.au . Withdrawal of a student during a term or at the completion of the academic year requires at least one term’s notice. Failure to provide a term’s notice will result in fees being charged for the following term. This is in recognition of the fact that the school is committed to maintain the employment of teachers on the basis of known enrolments from one term to the next. 

Hope you get an opportunity to enjoy this beautiful weather!

Regards

Caroline Price

Acting Principal

The Season of Creation

The Season of Creation is the annual ecumenical celebration of prayer and action for our common home. It is a time to renew our relationship with our Creator and all creation through celebration, conversion, and commitment together. 

The Season of Creation began on September 1, World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, and ends on October 4, the feast of St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of ecology.

The theme of this year's Season of Creation, ‘To Hope and Act with Creation,’ encourages us all to unite in making a positive impact on the world around us through prayer, sustainability, and advocacy.

In the midst of the Season of Creation, we have had very enthusiastic student participation at Rosary School in our Zero Waste Week.  We were very pleased to see a notable reduction in the volume of single-use plastic rubbish throughout the week. 

Students have been incredibly engaged and we hope this initiative has raised awareness about our impact on the environment. Our community gives huge thanks to our Year 6 Leaders for providing leadership on this important issue.

As a community, we look forward to finding ways to continue this initiative, and many others, in some capacity moving forward into next term and beyond. 

As Pope Francis wrote in Laudato Si’, “‘Everyone’s talents and involvement are needed to redress the damage caused by human abuse of God’s creation’. All of us can cooperate as instruments of God for the care of creation, each according to his or her own culture, experience, involvements and talents.” (LS 14).

I offer this Pledge of Commitment to the Season of Creation, on behalf of the Rosary School Community.

We have come to renew our covenant with God and with one another in Christ Jesus, our Lord. We have come to help protect God’s creation.

We have come as followers of Jesus to commit ourselves anew to one another and to heal injustice and poverty.

We have come to stand together against all threats to life.

We have come to discover some new beauty every day in God’s creation: the sunrise and sunset, birds, flowers and trees, rainbows in the sky, the stars, the many forms of life in the forest.

We have come to listen to the “music of the universe”- water flowing over rocks, the wind, trees bending in the wind, raindrops pattering the roof.

We will remember always that God speaks to us through the beauty of his creation, and we will try our best to answer God’s call to reverence all that he has created.

Important Finance Information

2024 Tuition Fees

Regular weekly or fortnightly payments are expected for your tuition fees as per our payment terms. All fee accounts must be finalised by Friday, 8 November 2024, unless an approved payment plan agreed with Melanie Fazio (Business Manager) is in place.

Change of Bank Account Details for Fee Payments

Rosary School has changed bank accounts, the new details are printed at the bottom of your school fees statement which is now viewed online in the Community Portal.  For your reference the new BSB is 066-782 (Commonwealth Bank) and account number is 100000287. Direct debit and BPAY is the school’s preferred payment method.

The old bank account will still accept payments at this point in time.

This term has been a busy term of events for RAR so far. We have celebrated Book Week and Father’s Day, participated in War on Waste Wednesday’s and the Adelaide Strikers Cricket Clinic, and completed a week of swimming lessons!

We are grateful to have participated in the Adelaide Striker’s Cricket Clinics this week with a session on cricket skills. We focused on the four main skills: batting, bowling, throwing, and catching. It was challenging but we persevered and had a lot of fun. 

In Week 7, we enjoyed the opportunity to develop their swimming skills and their confidence in the water at Thebarton Aquatic Centre. We wrote recounts about our swimming experience and considered our favourite parts of participating in the program. These included:

1. Having our friends with us 
2. Finding treasures under water 
3. Wearing life jackets
4. Jumping in the deep end of the pool 
5. Having a dance party in the pool on the last day 

Dear Parents and Guardians,

We are excited to update you on the activities of our Wellbeing /Community Leadership Group.

The Student Wellbeing /Community Leadership Group plays a vital role in fostering a positive, supportive, and inclusive school environment. Their key responsibilities include:

1. Promoting Well-being at Rosary School: The group works to enhance the overall well-being of students by organising activities and events that encourage mental, emotional, and physical health. This includes supporting initiatives like U R OK Day and creating a culture of care and empathy within the school.

2. Peer Support: Members of the group act as role models and mentors, especially to younger students, offering guidance, assistance, and friendship. For instance, they support Reception classes in adapting to school life and ensuring they feel welcome.

3. Community Engagement: The group helps to build a sense of community by organising events such as welcoming visitors to the school and "Rosary's Got Talent," which bring students together to celebrate their talents, foster creativity, and strengthen connections.

4. Encouraging Positive Behaviour: By designing and displaying affirmation posters around the school, the group promotes positive behaviour, self-esteem, and resilience, reinforcing the values of kindness, respect, and inclusion.

5. Leadership Development: Through their involvement in various activities and initiatives, students in the group develop essential leadership skills, including communication, problem-solving, and teamwork, which benefit both the school community and their personal growth.

Thank you for your ongoing support in nurturing a caring and supportive school community.

Warm regards,

Bernadette Basile and the Wellbeing / Community Leadership Group